Nalu oneshots

Shot 2: The Best Laid Plans of Natsu and Lucy

Team Natsu had become known as the strongest team in Fairy Tail. Lucy still didn't quite understand why she'd been accepted—in fact expected—on the team, but then again, Fairy Tail was like that. Nothing quite made sense and that was fine. From time to time, Lucy, Natsu and Happy would go off on their own, usually to help pay Lucy's rent. It had started early on, because sometimes Lucy's share of the rewards from team missions wasn't enough, thanks to the destructive capabilities and propensities of Team Natsu.

Natsu and Happy were always very generous with their time, usually working with Lucy for free. Then again, she sometimes felt as though they occupied her apartment as much as she did. Also, the difficulty with their help was that their plans frequently had unforeseen flaws.

"You just had to knock out the key support pillar, didn't you?!" Lucy had shouted on one memorable occasion.

"You said to take out some pillars so you could get a clear line of sight!" Natsu had retorted.

"Well yeah, but I didn't mean the massive, decorated thing in the middle of the room! It never occurred to me that you'd go after that one! And those monks were pretty ticked off at us afterwards!"

"We got rid of the giant rats."

"You vaporized part of their holy crypt!"

"They should have built it sturdier!" Pause. "Besides, cremation is the top choice of the truly modern, um, about-to-be-dead-person."

"What?!"

"It's in their pamphlet!"

"What?!"

"I got bored when they started talking about history and stuff—I figured you wouldn't get mad at me for not paying attention if I pretended to read something and nodded from time to time."

"...Well, that explains why you looked so serious when he told us where the bathrooms were."

The worst thing—or best thing—was that Lucy would always end up giggling, eventually. And then Natsu would grin. It worried Lucy just how much she loved that grin. It was triumphant and joyful, and at the same time warm and caring and reassuring.

Lucy had a feeling that at some point, when the current, rather terrifying threats to their lives and their world had been defeated—somehow—she might just want to kiss that grin. Of course, Natsu would probably dissolve into complete confusion if she did, but that was okay. She was pretty sure that he wouldn't be confused for long. Their plans might often be flawed, and so were they, but a bright grin might become a tight hug, and a tight hug might become a lingering kiss. A lingering kiss had possibilities.

So in the here and now—Natsu's world—they would go on making their flawed plans and dealing with the consequences. But in the hazy, hoped-for future—Lucy's world—they would continue to laugh at those flaws, while becoming closer in a different way. Lucy was becoming quite certain that the joy of life with Natsu would far outweigh its frustrations.

Suddenly, the world was full of blue cat.

"That's a weird smile, Lucy! What are ya' thinking about?" Then, watching the tell-tale blush creep over Lucy's face and down her neck as Natsu joined them, Happy came to his usual conclusion: "Aww, she liiiiiikes him!"